THE 2021 BIENNALE
THE 2021 BIENNALE
Originally scheduled for 2020, the Architectural Biennale will open on May 22, 2021 and will go on for six months, until November 21st.
The major concentrations of state pavilions will be as always at the Giardini and at the Arsenale, however a considerable number of states will exhibit elsewhere in town.
The title of this 17th edition is a question: “How Will we Live Together?”
The present edition’s curator, Hashim Sarkis affirms: “we are in some ways fortunate because we are well equipped to absorb the immediate and longer-term implications of the crisis into the Biennale Architettura 2021, the theme does also provide us with the possibility to respond to the pandemic in its immediacy, this is why we will return to Venice in the coming months for a series of activities devoted to the architecture”.
Architects are urged to reply to the question about how we will be able to share our planet in the future not only with theorical works, but rather introducing their plans and acting in team with other professional figures, coming from the world of science, art, politics, anthropology.
The new President, Roberto Cicutto, stresses the accent on ‘how much the work of the Biennale mirrors the contemporary world, which is sometimes foreshadowed by the proposals put forward by the curator and the participants,.
In a world affected by dramatic climate changes, mass migrations, overcrowded cities, economic and social downturns, dwindling building materials, architects need to find solutions.
Architecture must also keep in consideration all the scientific novelties regarding automation and artificial intelligence.
Former President Paolo Barretta states: “We look forward to the collective architectural imagination to meet this momentous occasion with creativity and courage.”
We are bound to live together, notwithstanding our innate sense of individuality, and we must respect all the other species. The harmony between all living beings is vital to the survival of the entire planet.
Our houses must reflect our dignity and identity, without ever forgetting the concepts of inclusion and social equity.
We suggest a list of not-to-be-missed pavilions:
USA – ‘American Framing’ focuses on traditional timber houses built with basic two-by-four timbers. The curators affirm that in the USA “The richest and poorest people live in houses that were built the same way”.
GERMANY– the curators imagine that we are in 2038, and all the difficulties we had to face in the 2020s are happily solved! Everything ended up well, as architects and other experts were able to cooperate and choose practical solutions.
FINLAND– Timber is also the central building material at the Finnish Pavilion. During the 1940s, when an enormous number of families had to leave their homes, a local consortium of timber manufacturers started to build permanent wooden houses for them. The project proved to be an international success. Many of the 300,000 homes are still inhabited today.
AUSTRALIA – ‘In Between’ will consider Australia’s indigenous cultures and their links with the South Pacific Islands. The team is formed by architects, a writer, and an anthropologist, in the intent of studying and learning from the rich patrimony of native populations.
GREAT BRITAIN – entitled ‘The Garden of Privatized delights’ , the British pavilion “reimagines how to make public space more inclusive, countering the rapid rise of privately-owned public space with an inspiring, alternative vision that urges both sectors to work together to create better designed space for all”.
Our tour will include a selection of the most significant exhibits at the Giardini and at the Arsenale. On request, the itinerary can be customized to include other venues in different areas of town.
More about the Venice Biennale 2021 here.
More contemporary art tours in Venice on our Walks inside Venice website.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Biennale Giardini top interest pavilions
- Biennale Arsenale most representative venues
MORE ABOUT
THIS TOUR
THE 2021 BIENNALE
La Biennale di Venezia is both a legendary event in the history of Modern Art and a stronghold of the fame of Venice as a mythical city.
Due to its amazing success, it became the model for other more recent Contemporary Art exhibits in the whole world, and still today is one of the major attractions in the city.
It was established in 1895 and is held every other year in a large green area – the Giardini – created by Napoleon in the early XIX cent., located in the Castello district.
At the beginning of the 20th century the main European countries were invited to set their own pavilion here, in order to display representative modern artworks of each nation. Some of the historical pavilions are masterpieces in themselves, and they will be part of our tour.
The purpose was reviving the international vocation of Venice as a capital of the arts.
La Biennale was also conceived as
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an Art Fair, where wealthy collectors could do their purchases, update their knowledge about the state of the Arts, contribute to the Italian economy, and ultimately increase the reputation of Venice as a cosmopolitan city.
Despite the conservative attitude of the exhibits’ juries, committed in assigning various awards, La Biennale constantly increased the number of countries, and showed interest in innovative trends and vanguards, especially after the World War II.
Abstract Expressionism was introduced in the 1950s, and Robert Rauschenberg was awarded the top prize reserved for foreign artists in 1964, on an architectural level the Italian architect Carlo Scarpa worked a series of remarkable interventions in the exhibition spaces from 1948 to the early 70’s.
In 1980, Achille Bonito Oliva and Harald Szeemann introduced Aperto, a section of the exhibition designed to explore emerging art, while in 1995 the French Jean Clair was the first non-Italian director of visual arts. The 50th edition, directed by Francesco Bonami, had a record number of seven co-curators involved, among whom Massimiliano Gioni, the curator of the 2013 edition. The 57th edition in 2017 was organized by the curator Christine Macel, Director of the Centre Pompidou in Paris.
The earliest shows dealing with architecture were part of the Visual Arts Department in the 1970’s, while the first Biennale Archittettura exhibit dates from 1980. The Italian architect Paolo Portoghesi was appointed Director, and both projects and designs were displayed at the Arsenale area.
DRESS CODE AND ADVICE
- Please wear comfortable shoes and a hat in the summer
COST
- This is a six hour tour (with a lunch break), or a three hour one for each section (Giardini or Arsenale)
- Cost of this tour 360 euros for each three hour tour
- Admissions: Full- Regular 25 euros – Students under 26 y.o. 20 euros (with current student ID)
CONTACT US
WALKS INSIDE ITALY
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San Polo 1541 30125 VENICE, ITALY
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